EDMOND, Okla., May 8 (UPI) -- With his mother, Wanda Pratt, watching proudly in the audience, Kevin Durant accepted his NBA Most Valuable Player trophy in a touching 25-minute acceptance speech on Tuesday.
In his speech, widely praised by the sports world, the 25-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder power forward individually thanked his teammates -- with personal anecdotes for each one -- for their role in his success.
"An emotional guy who will run through a wall for me," he said of teammate Russell Westbrook. "I don't take him for granted. There's days I just want to tackle you and tell you to snap out of it sometimes, but I know there are days that you want to do the same to me. I love you, man, I love you."
Durant cried almost the whole way through, but really shed tears for his mother, whom he described as "the real MVP."
"When you didn't eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You scarified for us. You're the real MVP," he said.
Watch the full speech below:
